Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainProtection reaches 100° on about 13 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 21°. June is the wettest month here, with about 5.4 times the rain of January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 88% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Protection at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Protection’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Protection’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Protection feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 197 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Coldwater, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Protection’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Coldwater, KS, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 59 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Protection
67% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Coldwater, KS.
Living with Protection’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
197 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 13 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Protection from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Protection and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Protection yet.
Climates most like Protection’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protection, KS | 21° | 95° | 24" | 17" |
| Borger, TX | 25° | 94° | 20" | 15" |
| Ogden, UT | 20° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Tucumcari, NM | 24° | 95° | 16" | 15" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Protection averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Protection compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Protection’s place among Kansas’.
Protection weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Protection’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Coldwater, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 21° | 0.7" | 3.5" | 3 | 2 | 27° – 44° |
| February | 52° | 24° | 0.8" | 4.0" | 3 | 2 | 31° – 46° |
| March | 61° | 33° | 1.6" | 3.2" | 5 | 1 | 40° – 57° |
| April | 71° | 42° | 2.1" | 0.5" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| May | 80° | 53° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 75° |
| June | 90° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| July | 95° | 68° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 77° – 89° |
| August | 92° | 66° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| September | 85° | 57° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| October | 73° | 44° | 2.0" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 31° | 0.9" | 1.2" | 3 | 0 | 38° – 52° |
| December | 48° | 22° | 1.0" | 4.6" | 3 | 2 | 28° – 39° |
| Year | 71° | 44° | 23.9" | 17.1" | 59 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 44°. December is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Protection’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Protection’s center.
- Snow: Coldwater, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Coldwater, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Protection’s climate
What is the weather like in Protection?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Protection in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 99 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Protection get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Coldwater, KS, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Protection?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 68°. About 74 days a year reach 90° and 13 reach 100° (Coldwater, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Protection?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 197 frost-free days, at Coldwater, KS.
What growing zone is Protection in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Protection?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Protection getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Protection.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.